The Story of the Four Friends

This year’s Fall Family Day, Amazing Animal Adventures, is inspired by the story of the Four Friends. Come visit on October 13 from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. to learn more, or download our Four Friends coloring pages below.

The Story of the Four Friends

Adapted from the story told by Lama Gembo Dorji

In a forest lived four friends: a bird, a rabbit, a monkey, and an elephant.They lived in harmony and respected each other very much. One day the four animals came together and began to tell stories to see who was the oldest and wisest. They were sitting under a very tall and very old tree. The large elephant said, “I can remember when the tree was my height, so I must be the oldest because that was indeed a long time ago.” Then the monkey said, “Wait. . . I must be older than you, because I can remember when the tree was so small that I could hop over it!” The rabbit exclaimed, “In that case—I must be older than both of you, because when the tree was just sprouting out from the ground, I gave it manure to help it grow.” At last the bird explained, “Well, I must be older than all of you, because I was the one who brought the seed from a different place, dropped it here, and that seed grew to be this very tree!” So as far as their size and strength were concerned, the bird was the smallest and the elephant was the most powerful, but the animals realized that each of them deserved respect for different qualities. The rabbit, monkey, and elephant decided that, because the bird had lived a much longer life, they would have the most respect for him and the things he had done to make the beautiful world that they all enjoyed.